Spring time juice cleanse
This is the time of year (clocks have changed and it’s lighter and brighter, days are warmer) I’m tempted to treat my body to a juice cleanse. Having ramped up my exercise regime (I rotate dynamic yoga one day with a run the next), I’ve heard it’s the perfect time to clean out and re-energise your body. It’s a bit like spring cleaning my house – there’s an urge to clear out the cupboards and de-clutter my home in Spring. So this year my environment outside will be mirrored by a cleaner and refreshed physical body.
Our bodies are so intelligent and do a great job of detoxing on their own, but these days in modern life an overload of stressors: environmental toxins, processed foods, unresolved emotions and psychological stressors alongside more sugars, alcohol and caffeine our bodies can’t quite keep up. Doing a Juice Cleanse is liking giving your body a deep-clean and then the re-set it needs to feel vibrant, healthy and functioning well.
Juice detoxing doesn’t suit everyone and if you’ve never done a juice cleanse before it’s best to check with your dr before you start. Like any detox, it’s always easier to do a cleanse with a friend to share the experience with.
It’s recommended to prepare your body before you start a juice cleanse. So the week before I will cut right down on red meat, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and dairy. A Macrobiotic based diet is great for this with lots of brown rice and vegetables. I will use Aveline Kushi’s complete guide to macrobiotic cooking for recipes. Then the day before the cleanse I will just eat raw fruit and vegetables.
Each day of my juice cleanse, I’ll start with a glass of warm water with a slice of lemon. Throughout the day I’ll supplement my juices with herb tea, or room temperature water.
I’ve read that it’s preferable to have slightly more fruit-based juices during the day to help break down toxins in the body. The more vegetable-based juices are generally more alkaline and contain more minerals, so they are better in the afternoons and evenings to help rebuild the body and prepare it for rest. It is not a strict science, so you can mix them up, but these are good general guidelines. I’ve also read it’s best to strain out any lumps of fruit/vegetables as solids will activate the digestive process and make you hungry!
According to juice experts The Blender Girl, a colonic at the start of the cleanse is essential (gulp) as the digestive process slows down, toxins can be left in the gut and bowel which need to be eliminated.
I will use the recipes on the Blender girl’s website – 3 day spring juice cleanse with 3 juices a day and 9 yummy recipes.
I think a 3 day cleanse is a good place to start!
Wish me luck!
Charlotte